Tag: toothbrush bacteria

Recently, a story about toothbrushes and toilets have been making the rounds on the internet. Maybe you’ve heard about it.

The theory is, when the toilet seat is opened, even if the commode is several feet away, airborne germs from a toilet flush will infect your toothbrush with fecal bacteria. It sounds pretty scary, not to mention gross! As a result, you, along with many other people, are now making sure to close the cover of the toilet before flushing.

Unfortunately, while this may have some credibility, it’s not the main problem when taking good care of your toothbrush.

The real source of troublesome germs is the brush itself.

Studies have found that your toilet is one of the cleaner parts of your house. However, the job of your toothbrush is to remove bacteria from your teeth. Much of that bacteria ends up coating your brush.

Now if you have a strong immune system you should be fine. And quite honestly, keeping your toothbrush away from the toilet is not an effective way to keep it hygienic and free from bacteria. Although it can’t hurt…

Bacteria thrives on moisture. If you happen to use a brush that comes with

germs from the toilet are not the worst issue

one of those clear guards that snaps on over the bristles, don’t put it on after you brush and floss. If you want to see the ugly details of what can happen…go ahead and snap that guard on after each time you brush.

What the bacteria on your toothbrush really need in order to thrive is moisture. After about a week, you’ll begin to see black forming around the base of the bristles. This is bacteria. It would be safe to say, you probably don’t want THAT in your mouth!

So…what’s the best thing to do? if you really want to avoid germs on your toothbrush, the best thing you can do is keep it dry.

That’s it. Once you’re done brushing (and flossing) make sure you shake the excess water from the bristles…pat it even with a clean cloth and place it where it can continue to dry until the next time you need it.

If you’re curious about other ways to have a healthy mouth, that’s where West Airdrie is an expert! Click here or call 587 317 7713

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